When I Found You
by Trinity11
Summary: AU. Everyone's Human. Will eventually be B/S. Elizabeth Stanton is tired of her glamorous life in LA and decides to do something about it. Come inside for a better summary. ;)
1. The Last Straw

Hey! Look! You guys actually wanted to see what the story was about. Lol. Yay! 

This story's AU. Everyone's human. No vampires, no demons, just boring ol' humans. Lol. 

Elizabeth Stanton is the girl who has everything. She's pretty and she's rich, and isn't that everything? It is when you live in the Stanton mansion. Her parents constantly try to fix her up with guys. After meeting Riley Finn, that was the last straw for Elizabeth. She decides to run away. Where? Sunnydale, of course! There she gets a new identity (hmmm, what could it be?), meets new people, and basically gets what she's been missing for eighteen years. 

But. Yes, there's always a but. Weeks after her arrival to Sunnydale, every news channel in Sunnydale, in California, actually, announces the "kidnapping" of Elizabeth Stanton. So what happens? 

You have to read to find out!   
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me. Idea doesn't even really belong to me, lol. I just found it at spuffyarchives.com (WONDERFUL site, by the way). Don't sue. I don't have much money anyway. Lol.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
**Chapter One** The Last Straw  
  
  


"Elizabeth. That was very rude what you said to Riley Finn. He was being such a gentleman to you and you had to go and tell him that he was being boring," Elizabeth's mother was saying as she followed her newly graduated daughter into the spacious bedroom. 

The eighteen year old brunette flopped on her king sized bed in a very unladylike manner that made her mother cringe. "Mother. I was being honest," Elizabeth said, picking up a magazine and flipping through it carelessly. 

"That's not the way to behave, young lady," Mrs. Stanton scolded. "Have your father and I taught you nothing?" 

Elizabeth stopped flipping pages. She dropped her magazine and stared into her mother's eyes. "You taught me not to associate with those beneath me. With all due respect, Mother, Riley Finn is very, very beneath me. Like, six feet under, beneath me." 

"He comes from a very rich family, Elizabeth," her mother told her, as if that was the thing that mattered most. In the Stanton household, that _was_ what mattered most. How fat someone's bank account was, their social status in society, who their parents were, how many servants they had, those were the things that determined a person's worth around here. 

"All he talks about is his country club," Elizabeth muttered, rolling her eyes. 

"Don't you dare roll your eyes at me, Elizabeth. This is not how you were taught to behave," her mother shouted. Katherine Stanton ran a perfectly manicured hand through her brown hair, trying to calm herself down. "Now, next week, you will meet Riley Finn again. You will be the polite, respectful, courteous lady we have raised you to be. You will listen to what he says, 'boring' or not. You will smile that brilliant smile you inherited from me. You will be the perfect host for our guest. Do I make myself clear, Elizabeth Anne Stanton?" 

She knew when her mother called her by her whole name that she should listen. "Yes, Mother," Elizabeth answered quietly. 

Mrs. Stanton smoothed a hand down her expensive skirt and nodded. "Good. Your father and I are going to meet the Finns at their country club. We don't think it would be proper to bring you along since you have acted so rudely to their only son. You are to stay in your room. The servants will bring you your dinner. You are to eat in your room. I will speak to you in the morning." And with that, her mother walked out of the room with perfect posture only possessed by those who spent thousands of dollars at boarding school. 

Elizabeth stared at the closed door of her room and sighed. She really hated it here. She had thought that being eighteen, she would be able to move out. She and her parents, no. Her parents, without questioning or even warning her, had decided it would be best if she lived at home and attend the college here. 

"It has a very good reputation and is well respected everywhere," her father had told her. 

She had rolled her hazel eyes at that. And of course, she was scolded. It was improper to roll one's eyes at a higher being. 

Elizabeth got off her custom made, four poster, canopy bed. She made her way to her full lenth mirror. Looking in the mirror, a brunette stared back at her. Her hair hung in dark, cascading waves past her elbows. Feisty hazel eyes studied the figure in the mirror, as if trying to decide who she was. Small feminine nose. Pink rose colored, pouty lips. Perfect white teeth. Perfect chin. Perfect everything. On the outside of course. 

The brunette knew that she was not the perfect daughter around here. She knew that her parents were very disappointed in the way she had been acting lately. It didn't matter to her. She didn't care. All she wanted to do was leave and never look back. Never have to date some boring country club pretty boy like Riley Finn. Although he wasn't even that pretty, she mused. 

Her eyes traveled away from the mirror to the pictures taped on its side. She and her parents last year in Hawaii. Elizabeth studied the picture for a long time. Her mother and father smiling brightly at the camera. All the that professional photographer could get out of her was a well practiced smirk. 

_I've got to get out of this place,_ she told herself. Then it occured to her. She could. 

She moved to the other side of her room where her pricey wooden desk was. Quickly rummaging through the drawers, she found what she was looking for. 

A letter talking about her full acedemic scholarship to Sunnydale University. She had always worked hard in school, simply because she had nothing else to do. And now it finally paid off! 

She remembered her parents saying the only reason she got the scholarship was because they needed more important people in Sunnydale. Which was probably true. She probably had more shoes than this town had people. But who cares? She was getting out of here! 

_Let's see, I'll need a bus ticket. Or a taxi. Hmm. Need cash. Psst. That's covered. I'll need clothes, yeah. Got that. I'll have to leave soon. Before next week's little rendezvous with Riley. I probably won't live on campus. Just get an apartment or something. But then they might need references and-_

A tidmid knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Elizabeth quickly shoved the letter into her drawer. "Come in," she called. 

In came one of her servants, carrying a food tray. "Hello, Miss Stanton. Your mother told me to tell you that you should eat all of your food with no arguments," the servant said. 

Elizabeth smiled. "I'll be sure to do so, Jessica. Thanks." 

Once Jessica left, Elizabeth broke out into a huge smile. She ate all her food. Did her regular before bed routine. The last thing on her mind before she fell asleep was _I'm finally getting out of here!__   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Last Note: So what'd ya think? I know, I know. You want Spike. Lol. So do I. Don't worry, he'll make his appearence soon. While you wait for him, please review. They help me write faster, and they let me know if anyone's reading this. Lol. _


	2. Almost There

Hey. I got reviews! Yay! Lol. I'm looking for a beta reader. Anyone interested? I know my English and everything, but sometimes when I read over my stuff, I don't catch all the typos and stuff. If you're interested, email me. 

This will eventually be Buffy/Spike, so for all my Angel/Buffy shippers, I'm sorry I didn't make it clear. =/ 

Anyway, on to Chapter two....  
  
  
  
  
**Chapter Two**  
  
  


It had been exactly six days since Elizabeth had come up with her brilliant plan to get out of this hell hole called home. Since then she had spent every waking moment thinking about her escape to Sunnydale. She even dreamt about it sometimes. 

Elizabeth had made a list of everything that needed to be done. First she had to make sure her scholarship was still there. She knew that by using the phone at home, or even her cell phone, her parents would be able to retrace the calls. So while she was out shopping, she used a payphone to call them. Luckily, her scholarship was still there. By the overjoyed sounds of the Dean there, she knew her father was right. They obviously did need more important people there. Not that she was saying she was _that_ important. They probably wanted someone to actually come to Sunnydale, rather than move away from it. 

She also had to figure out transportation. That day at the mall, she had also arranged for a taxi to pick her up five blocks away from her house. Tonight. 

Tonight was the big night. Her parents were out at some banquet and wouldn't be home anytime soon. Elizabeth had packed everything she needed: her two sexiest outfits, her three most comfortable outfits, and her two most casual outfits. She just hoped they wouldn't get wrinkled too much, being cramed inside a Gucci backpack and all. In the backpack also enclosed three pairs of shoes, sexy black heels, flip flips, and knee high boots. The brunette also packed two weeks supply of undergarments and socks in her casual purse. Her purse also had a hair brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and other feminine products. The most important thing she carried, which was also the thing that would sustain her for a while was her wallet. It held an undetermined amount of money, all in hundred dollar bills. She had been to the bank lately. And she might have taken some money from her parents here and there. Elizabeth had never counted the money. She just knew that if she lost it, some homeless man could probably buy himself a week or two with a hooker in the fanciest hotel in California. 

Elizabeth knew the risks of traveling with this amount of money, but for freedom she was willing to take that risk. 

Her eyes traveled to the posh clock on the wall. _Fifteen minutes until showtime, Liz._ She moved her eyes to her full length mirror once more. It hit her like a ton of bricks. She couldn't look like this. Elizabeth knew her parents, she knew them very well. By tomorrow morning her picture would be all over the paper and on TV. Within a week, police all over the country would be looking for Elizabeth Anne Stanton. There was no way she'd escape. She studied herself in the mirror. What could she change? 

Hair. Elizabeth loved her hair. It had taken her so long to grow. That was her last thought about it before scissors sliced it off. In three long snips, her beloved hair was in her hands. She looked at the mass of brown hair in her hand. She couldn't leave it here, then they'd know. What the hell was she supposed to do with clumps of hair? 

Rushing into the bathroom, she took out an empty shopping bag. Throwing all her hair in there, she held back tears. _It's gonna be worth it,_ a voice inside her said. Elizabeth looked around for a place to put her bag of hair. She finally decided that it'd be best to carry it with her and keep it. She couldn't let anyone find traces of her. 

The brunette stared her reflection. She was a mess. Uneven, somewhat shoulderlength brown hair. _It'll be blonde soon,_ she thought to herself. _Or maybe red._ Her eyes were puffy from the tears that almost spilled earlier. 

She sighed. Contacts was something else she'd need. Change her make up too. Elizabeth glanced at her watch. Eight minutes. In three, she would leave. 

Elizabeth knew she would look like the most bizarre person in the world with what she was wearing. Fit black jeans and a black tank top. Over the tank top was a black button up blouse. And to top it off, she wore a black jacket. It was her only black jacket. It wouldn't keep her warm, but in California, you didn't really need jackets that kept you warm. Black socks. Running shoes, not black. Elizabeth didn't own any black ones. _I don't think they'll pay_ that _much attention to my shoes._ Or so she hoped. She even wore black gloves so they wouldn't be able to get her fingerprints. 

Glancing at the clock again, she realized it was time. All the servants should be in their quarters right now. If they heard the doors open, they would just assume her parents had come home early. She hoped. 

Not even sparing a last glance at the place she called her room for eighteen years, she quietly opened the door. Her bed was made to look like she was sleeping in it, a trick she learned from watching too many movies. A letter had been left on her desk, stating various reasons to her disappearence. No make up. Dark sunglasses hid her eyes. Her baseball cap was firmly placed on her head, hopefully changing her look a bit more. Backpack on both shoulders, purse over one shoulder. She was ready. Elizabeth tiptoed down the stairs expertly. When she reached the front door,she held her breath. Turning the knob slowly, she cracked the front door open, only big enough to let her small body through. 

Once she was outside, Elizabeth felt a rush of air go through her system. A small smile graced her lips. The only thing that kept her from going into a full grin was knowing that leaving the house had been the easy part. 

Stepping off her porch, she didn't dare turn back. The servants quarters were at the back of the house, but that didn't mean they were all there. One of them could be out and about doing God knows what. 

Knowing this, Elizabeth ran. She ran like she had never run before. In her mind she thanked her father for never getting security cameras or gaurd dogs, despite her mother's ceaseless requests. As she was running through her rich neighborhood, she couldn't think of why her father had said no. It didn't matter though. She was almost there. 


	3. Different

Thanks so much for the reviews! They make me giddy. Lol. Just need to let everyone know that I'm a busy girl. so you should expect updates every other day. If I get a lot of reviews maybe one everyday (not that I'm bribing you in any way, LOL). Thanks to my wonderful beta for correcting my stuff. I never knew about that dash thing. Lol. What are they teaching us, nowadays?! Lol. Also thanks to everyone who offered to beta my story. I didn't reply to you because I already had one, not because I'm rude or anything. Lol. Hmm. That's it. Hope you like it. =)   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**Chapter Three**  
  
  


Waiting had been the worst part. Elizabeth hated it. She had been exactly twenty-two seconds early. The taxi was two minutes and twenty-nine seconds late. That had been the longest two minutes and twenty nine seconds she had ever been through in her entire life. 

"So where are you off to?" the driver asked. 

Elizabeth's first thought was not to answer him. Then she realized that would be stupid, considering he was the one that was taking her there. "Sunnydale. How fast can you get me there?" 

The driver was pretty young. He looked trustworthy enough. For a stranger. But Elizabeth knew good and well looks weren't always precise. His brown eyes stared into her through the rearview mirror. "It's about hundred some miles from here. It'll probably take us about two hours," the man estimated. 

"I'll pay you double if you can get me there in an two thirds that amount," she proposed. 

The man's eyebrows raised. "Sure, kid." And with that, he drove away at seventy per hour in a thirty mile speed limit zone. "I'm Whistler, by the way." 

"Okay. I don't really feel like talking," she told him, leaning her head against the window. 

About five minutes into the silent drive, Elizabeth got bored. She wished she had brought her CD player or something. But she knew that would have meant sacrificing one of her outfits. She groaned. "So why were you late?" she asked the driver, deciding small talk was better than no talk. 

"I wasn't. You said nine thirty." 

"You came at nine thirty-two," she informed him. 

Whistler stopped at a red light. "Only two minutes," he argued. 

"And twenty-nine seconds," she muttered. 

He looked at her again in the rearview mirror. "You anxious to get to Sunnydale, or what?" 

"Yeah." 

"What's there for you?" he asked, curious. 

_Too close! He's getting too close!_ Her mind was yelling. "I'm moving in with my mom," she lied, hoping it sounded convincing. 

"How old are you, kid?" he questioned as the light turned green. 

"Sixteen," she lied again. Elizabeth was well aware of the fact that she wore no make up, which didn't exactly make her look like she was older. She couldn't give any true information to the driver, and sixteen just came out. 

"Where's your dad?" 

"Um. My parents are divorced. I'm living with my mom this summer." 

"Oh. That's cool. My parents are divorced too. It's not as big a deal as everyone says it is. I mean..." 

Elizabeth tuned out his words and simply stared out the window. They were on the interstate highway now. So around here, it was okay for him to be doing sixty an hour. Of course, he was doing eighty, so it's not like it mattered. _If a police pulls us over..._ She didn't allow herself to finish that thought. "Are you sure you should be going this fast. I don't wanna get pulled over and be even later." 

"Don't worry about it. I've done this a million times before. I know where police usually are. You're safe with me, kid." 

"But, aren't police in all different places? Why would they stay in the same place?" she asked. 

"They want you to think they're everywhere. But they're not." 

"Oh." Elizabeth continued to stare out the window, not really seeing anything, just lost in her thoughts.   
  
  
  
  
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Elizabeth was a bit disoriented when she woke up. At first she didn't recognize where she was or why she felt so cramped. The sound of the driver's voice brought her back to reality. 

"We'll be at the Sunnydale City limit in about three minutes, kid." 

Three minutes. She'd be there in three minutes. She reached in her pocket for the fifties she had put in there before she left. There were five fifty dollar bills. Two hundred fifty bucks. Wasn't _that_ much. 

Then, she saw it. The big, "WELCOME TO SUNNYDALE" sign. Elizabeth was filled with the same rush of air she felt when she had stepped foot outside her house. Containing her excitement, she sat up straighter, wanting to see everything. 

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" 

The brunette nervously chewed on her fingernail, looking out the window. They were driving through a what looked like the heart of the city. Stores and shops here and there. People walking around, couples holding hands, it was a small town. It was Friday night though, she guessed that's why there were people out and about. "Just drop me off here. I wanna get a little walking done. I've been cramped up for too long." 

Whistler did as he was told. "That'll be-" 

She didn't let him finish. She handed him all five of her fifties, not caring if it was too much. "Thanks. For everything." With that, she took her stuff and got out of the taxi, watching it drive away. 

Once the taxi was out of sight, Elizabeth scanned her surroundings. The thing that caught her eye was the barber shop across the street. A twenty-four hour barber shop. Not looking both ways, or even any way, she crossed the street. 

She opened the door and walked inside. The place smelled like peroxide and shampoo. Elizabeth caught the eye of a woman, probably in her mid thirties. "Can you do my hair now?" 

The woman nodded, making her crazy hairdo look as if it were bouncing. "Come over here, sweetie." 

Elizabeth made her way to the empty chair. While taking off her hat, she debated on whether or not to take off her sunglasses. 

As if reading her mind, the woman told her, "Honey, you're gonna have to take off those sunglasses if so I can see what I'm working with here." 

Hesitantly, the Elizabeth took off her sunglasses. 

Both the woman and Elizabeth stared into the mirror at Elizabeth's reflection. "Well, I-I think I can work with this. What would you like me to do?" 

"Just make me...different." 


	4. Excitement

Hey guys! I'm glad you like the story so far. Nothing to say really. Thanks to my beta, as always. Hope you guys like this chapter and please review. =)  
  
  
  
  
  
**Chapter Four**  
  
  


"What'd you say your name was?" Anya asked the blonde as they made their way down the empty hallway. 

"Buffy," she answered. The name sounded strange to Elizabeth. It was normal, she guessed. After being called Elizabeth her whole life, Buffy would take some getting used to. 

"Right. Anyway, here's your place," Anya told her, opening the door to reveal an average sized apartment. "Living area, kitchen, two bedrooms, one bathroom." 

Buffy's eyes widened at the quality of the place. Or rather, lack thereof. It was _not_ what she was used to. The walls were void of the expensive paintings, they were just plain white. Dust covered the floor. The place looked old. Cramped, compared to her old place. _My room was bigger than this entire apartment,_ she thought to herself. 

Her shock and distaste must have been written all over her face, because Anya said, "I know it's not your regular Four Seasons Hotel, Buffy. But hey, it's got all the living essentials: running water, electricity, all the works. And it's not as pricey as those other places." 

_She's right. Maybe it's not what you're used to, but at least you don't have to deal with your parents anymore,_ a voice inside her whispered. "Yeah. Um. Thanks, Anya." 

"No problem. Just gotta go through some rules with you. Hmmm. There's only one. You have to pay the rent on time. Got it?" 

Buffy nodded, gripping her purse strap as if it were her life preserver. 

Anya smiled. "Good. Anything else you wanna do, go ahead. As long as it doesn't take anything away from my profit. Oh! And if you have sex, make sure you're not too loud. The people around you will complain and then they might want to leave. Which means less money for me." She stopped and pondered what she had said for a moment. "Unless, you know, it's one of _those_ orgasisms. You know where you just can't hold your screams. And he's driving into you like there's no tomorrow and you just want him to go harder so you scream and...do you get what I'm saying?" 

_I never knew a person was this direct_. "Um. Yeah. I'll, uh. Be sure to. Um. Yeah," Buffy stuttered. 

Anya nodded. "Good. Rent is due on the fifteenth. Don't forget. If you have any other questions, just ask, I'll be downstairs." With that, she walked off. 

With a sigh, Buffy walked into her new place and closed the door behind her. It was around six in the morning, the first rays of dawn were beginning to shine through the windows, giving the apartment some light. 

Last night, after her hair had been cut, she went to a different hair place to get her hair dyed. Deciding she needed contacts, she went and got some blue ones. Then she got a new ID. She looked through newspapers to find a place to crash, only to end up here. The paper had said it was cheap. The landlady, Anya told her they had about seven people rooming here, including her. Buffy suspected the reason they didn't get many people was because of the condition this place was in and the fact that the person running it seemed no older than twenty. Frankly, it didn't matter to Buffy how old the landlady was. Anya seemed to know what she was doing, she was direct, and most importantly, she didn't ask questions about who Buffy was. 

"I need some furniture," Buffy said to herself. 

After changing out of her black attire into some casual shorts and a pale blue tank top, she fixed up her make-up and her hair. Looking into the mirror for a final inspection, she realized she hardly recognized herself. _That's a good thing, Liz,_ a voice told her. She automatically wanted to kick herself when she realized what she said. _Not Liz. Not Elizabeth. Buffy. BUFFY._ Shaking her head Buffy, grabbed her purse, locked the door, and left.  
  


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A man descended down the stairs two steps at a time. His platinum, almost white, blonde hair clashing with his black clad body. The black shirt he wore was tight enough for you to see his hard worked abs. Black jeans hung on his hips. Striking blue eyes scanned his surroundings, looking for nothing in particular. 

"Morning, Demon Girl," Spike greeted, British accent obvious, as he walked up to the front desk. 

Anya looked up from her computer and sent a glare Spike's way. "Stop calling me that." 

Spike sent her an amused look. "You deserve it after what you did last ye-." 

"Is _that_ never talking about it again?" Anya cut him off. 

The platinum blonde man laughed. "Anything new?" 

"We got a new girl in the building," Anya informed him, going back to her computer to finish checking her stocks. 

An eyebrow raised in curiosity. "She worth talking about?" 

Still engrossed in her stocks, Anya didn't look at Spike. "She's interesting. I guess." 

"Care to elaborate, pet?" 

Anya shrugged. "She's very conservative." 

"Conservative?" 

"She wore all black. I swear, I think she had on about four layers of clothing. Doesn't talk much either." 

"Oh," Spike said, a bit disappointed. They needed some excitement around here. 

"She left about four hours ago. Didn't say where, though," Anya continued. 

"The chit knows her way around already?" 

"This is Sunnydale, Spike. There's not much to find." 

Spike opened his mouth say something, but the sound of the door opening stopped him. Both he and Anya looked toward the door, only to find that a petite blonde woman with shopping bags had walked in, making her way toward them. 

"Hey, Anya. I'm gonna have some people delivering furniture soon, so when they come, could you just send them up to my apartment?" the girl asked politely, not taking off her sunglasses. 

While Anya and the girl talked, Spike took the chance to look the girl over. Pretty thing, she was. She wore a pair of short, khaki shorts that showed off her golden skin and shapely legs. A flimsy blue tank top exposed more of her skin to him. Pouty lips. Cute nose. Her chin length hair was a golden blonde color that looked suspiciously bottle bought. Her eyes were covered with the sunglasses, so he couldn't tell what color they were. 

He hadn't realized he was staring until the girl asked him, "You okay?" 

"Yeah. Sorry. I'm Spike," he told her, extending his hand. 

She took it with a smile. "I'm Buffy." 

An eyebrow raised at the sound of her name. "Buffy?" 

"Yeah. Buffy," she said. "You got a problem with it?" 

Spike smirked. 

Buffy smirked back at him, making him laugh. 

"So what brings you to Sunnydale, pet?" 

She shrugged. "Definitely not the excitement."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
_Author's Note: I know Spike meeting Buffy wasn't the most romantic scene in the world. But I don't believe in love at first sight. I seriously don't believe that Spike can just look at Buffy and be like, "Oh my God! I'm in love with her!" and vise versa. Sure, he thinks she's pretty. But I think he has to get to know her a little more than three seconds to realize that he likes her. Anyway, be sure to review and tell me what you think._  
  



	5. Food

  
  
  
**Chapter Five** Food  
  
  


"Maids don't get paid enough," Buffy muttered to herself as she threw herself on her new plush couch. The exhausted blonde glanced at her watch. It was now six in the evening. She had spent hours setting up her apartment. Damn. 

As she gazed around her new apartment, she realized those miserable, endless hours had been worth it. Her apartment looked nothing like it did this morning. The walls were painted different pastel colors. The floor had been swept and scrubbed to perfection. _As good as any cleaning maid, if I do say so myself._ Her living area now had a nice, dark blue, somewhat elegant furniture set that accented her soft sky blue walls. Bright summer flowers brightened up the room and attempted to drown out the smell of cleaning products and paint. Her refrigerator and eating table were in the kitchen, which had been painted a pale yellow. She made a note to go shopping to fill up that refrigerator. Her bedroom had a full sized bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. She had also bought bedsheets and an alarm clock, but she hadn't done anything with them yet. In her bathroom, a shower curtain had been put up. 

Buffy couldn't decide what she wanted to do with the extra room. For now, she had more important things to think about it. _Like a job,_ an annoying voice told her. The blonde sighed. She had never worked a day in her life. She didn't know what to expect, or even where to start. 

She'd worry about that tomorrow. Right now, she needed some sleep. 

  
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The first thing Buffy noticed when she woke up was that she wasn't in her bed. The next thing was that she was hungry. Groggily opening her eyes, she looked around. Hmm. She was on the floor of the extra bedroom. The only room that didn't smell like paint. Her stiff new comforter wrapped around her small body. Buffy wondered how she was able to get to sleep under such circumstances. If someone had told her a month ago that she'd be living in Sunnydale, going by the name of Buffy Summers, and doing everything on her own...she would have laughed her ass off and then some. 

Buffy glanced at her watch. It was eleven thirty. She walked out into the living room. Taking a deep breath, she caught the faint smell of paint. _Guess opening the windows did help get rid of that smell,_ she thought as she looked out the window. It was sunny. Why's the sun up at eleven thirty at night? 

_Oh! Shit! How long was I asleep?!_

Running a hand through her hair, she got up. Buffy tried to get her mind together and remember what she was supposed to do today. 

Her stomach growled. _Guess that's the first thing I have to do,_ she mused. Clothes. She needed to change. 

When she walked out of her apartment, she was dressed in some hip huggers and a black halter top. Sunglasses covered her face again. Her hair was in a half pony tail. She was ready. 

Except for the fact that she had no idea where the grocery store was. She put a hand on her stomach. It was growling again. She supposed she should just go grab something to eat first. Buffy sighed and started walking down the stairs. 

"Morning, love," a familiar male voice called to her. 

Buffy looked to the source of the voice to see Spike. He was sitting at the front desk reading a magazine. Buffy noticed that he was dressed in all black again. "Oh. Hey." 

"Going somewhere?" Spike asked. 

"Yeah. I gotta go get some breakfast," she answered. 

"Not the cooking type, huh?" 

She gave him a smile. "Even if I was, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I have nothing edible in my apartment." 

"Ahh," Spike said. 

"Hey, do you know where the grocery store is?" 

"Yeah, but I thought you were gonna go get breakfast?" 

"I am. But I'll need to get some groceries too. I can't eat out all the time," she explained. 

"Oh, well it's on-" 

Buffy cut him off. "Wait. Could you tell the cab driver when he gets here? I'm probably not gonna remember." 

"You're taking a cab?" Spike asked sceptically. 

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" 

"Nothing. It's just...don't you have a car?" 

"No. Buffy and cars are like...un mixy things," she told him. Buffy didn't mention that she'd never had to drive anywhere because she had always had a driver and a limo. 

Spike gave her a strange look, making her uncomfortable, so she looked away. "I'll take you," he declared, making her turn her eyes back to him. 

"Really?" 

He shrugged, hopping off the desk and setting the magazine down. "Sure. I need to get some food anyway." 

"Okay. Just let me call the cab," Buffy told him. 

"No need. I've got a car." 

"Oh. Okay," Buffy said, falling in step with him as they walked outside. 

"There's no way in hell I'm riding in that thing," Buffy proclaimed once she saw the so called car Spike was taking her in. 

The male blonde chuckled at her. "It's a classic." 

"Yeah, well so is my grandpa, but that doesn't mean he's fit to ride," Buffy scoffed. 

"You want food, don't you?" Spike asked. Part of him was annoyed that she was talking about his DeSoto like that. Another part of him was impressed. _So she's not just another pretty California face_. 

"I can just call a cab like I was planning to," she reminded him. 

"Or you could just learn to drive," he suggested. Then he grabbed her arm and led her to his car, opening the passenger door. "Or you can just suck it up and get in." 

Buffy let out an exaggerated sigh. The she got in. "Does this thing even work?" she asked Spike once he got in. 

Spike rolled his eyes at her. "No, love. We're just getting in it to go to the store because it doesn't work." 

It was now Buffy's turn to roll her eyes. "Just get me some food, Spike."  
  
  


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_Author's Note: The chapters will get longer, I swear. Lol. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews. Keep them coming. =P I'm so glad you guys like this story. I never knew so many people were against the love at first sight thing. Lol. I always thought it was just me. Haha. Well, I'm glad that there are people that believe in it. I know it does happen in rare occasions. I'm really tired of seeing it in every other story, though. *shrugs* Um. I've had a lot of things to do lately, so that's why chapters are so slow. Once my schedule clears up you'll be getting chapters everyday. I promise. Lol. Anyway, I hope I'm living up to your expectations and all. :)_  
  
  
  



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